Ali showed his fear in response to a reporter’s question about his need for police protection. May 17, 2020, 2:19 PM. Plus him getting KOd flat against Henry Cooper. Apart from trainer Johnny Tocco and former champ Emile Griffith, Liston may not have told anyone else what really happened that night. A Phantom Punch in Kronos occurs when an employee forgets to punch out for job one and on the same day . Most people at ringside did not see the punch with which Ali knocked Liston out. Its relative isolation and low population makes it one of the last places you’d think of for, say, a major sporting event. A number of theories surfaced as to why Liston may have thrown the fight. Have you ever been in the ring buddy? Walcott sure didn’t appear that hurt immediately afterwards. Sitting in his dressing room prior to his 1965 rematch with Muhammad Ali, the former heavyweight champion of the world must have wondered how everything could have gone so terribly wrong. they punch back in for a job two. “But you people run the country and you should go out on the highway and stop anybody coming after me.” Liston’s most telling comment was, “They’re coming to get him, not me, right?”. GTC…..He may have, but that is pure speculation. I think Sonny took the dive….I don’t know why. It is, as slow motion shows, a short right hand to the face—an eight-inch chop, really—that follows an ineffectual left … Politicians, journalists and the public called for boxing to be banned. Bottom line….very suspicious . The ‘Phantom Punch’, which was the blow that ended the match, was a short, quick, chopping right to the side of Sonny Liston's jaw. Other episodes of the series were released on VHS in 1995. Las Vegas casino executive Ash Resnick was in Lewiston with his wife Marilyn. If we feel comments are offensive, the post will be deleted and continuing offenders will be blocked from the site. Even the most ardent Ali worshippers if they were being honest would have to admit Liston took a dive. In truth, it was an act of courage. Yes the black Muslims fixed this fight, and yes the mob was probably in on it. At that time, the talk was about the lack of any good pictures or movies of the fight. Not for himself, but for his family. Phantom Punch chronicles Liston's triumphs and tragedies. In 1965, Ali and Liston were two of the most despised boxers in history. If Walcott could’ve gotten up, he would’ve taken a brutal beating. Marciano however great he looked in their first fight, was as good as Walcott looked in being tough. The 1965 fight took place in Maine and ended when Ali threw what has since been called “the phantom punch.” The gloves were bought by an anonymous bidder … So it hit Sonny square (actually sideways against the jaw) meaning it wasn’t a glancing blow, which would have been the case if he were backing up. Five FBI agents came to Ali’s hotel and told him they believed there was some truth to the rumors. They have her and the boy. While in a fight, you will aim your punch in a certain direction to start, before the first movement is made, your charm skill will take slight control of the user's mind, to them an image will appear and make it look like the punch has continued heading in the initial direction. At that moment, everyone in boxing knew that the indestructible Liston had taken a dive. "Phantom Punch" gloves to be auctioned Sonny Liston tries to regain his feet after being knocked down by Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali, unseen, at the Lewiston Arena, Maine, May 25, 1965. Debate raged about the punch that ended matters. “It’s the Black Muslims. Liston was not a bully who could dish out punishment and not receive it like MikeTyson total B.S. And after reading the book, you might come to the same conclusion that I did. Phantom Punch is a full-length motion picture biopic of the controversial life of boxer Sonny Liston (Ving Rhames). However even then the fight should have continued because Ali never when to a neutral corner. This is a movie, waiting to be written and filmed. Whether the punch was a jab, a hook, or twisted fest, it was not strong enough to drive Liston unconscious. A witness said, “I saw that punch, and it couldn’t have crushed a grape.” But it crushed Sonny, and his career. a Phantom Punch. Report this Content. Liston was an intimidating ex-con whose management included members of organized crime. Two days before the fight, two Muslims visited Sonny and threatened to kill him if he didn’t lose the bout. PHANTOM PUNCH. The Resnicks were dear friends of Sonny and his wife Geraldine and Joe and Martha Louis. Most people at ringside did not see the punch with which Ali knocked Liston out. I also think it was a very poor acting job from Liston’s side. Sonny, like most of us, was happier dishing it out than taking it. You be the judge, Who did Ali Say he learned to Punch From? This was the second fight between Ali and Liston that took place in Maine and ended in the first round after Ali threw what has since been called “the phantom punch.” To everyone else, it’s known as the Mystery of the Phantom Punch. The confusion didn't stop there. When was it made known that it was existed? The two Liston “fights” were only two out of many of Clay-Ali’s fake fights. 2. Things were getting worse for the ex-champ, but the worst was yet to come…. What is a Phantom Punch? Ali would never have approved of any of this had he known about it, though it’s unlikely he could have prevented it. The film also stars Stacey Dash, Nicholas Turturro, Alan van Sprang, David Proval, and Bridgette Wilson. Sonny definitely caught it with the left side of his face. “Men were checked for ‘suspicious bulges,’” were they? At that moment Liston was advancing and so was that punch. Ali’s punch landed on Liston’s face on the latter point. In May 2015, The Guardian wrote how the alleged "phantom punch" Muhammad Ali delivered to Sonny Liston in 1965 had us "scratching our heads 50 years on." It made sense that the new skill was somehow related to a punch since the vampire martial art mainly focused on using hands. Nobody knew the extent of their damage until Barrack Insane NyetBama came to town and gave America away. Debate raged about the punch that ended matters. Great read Paul…..looking forward to your next one, George Thomas Clark’s first comment seems to cover my take on that night’s Ali vs Liston II. There has been mountains of conjecture about whether Ali’s right hand actually landed. 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